By: Sport Nova Scotia Communications
At the 19th Annual Mi’kmaq Sport Summit held in Dartmouth this past November eight new members were inducted into the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Sports Hall of Fame. These athletes, coaches and builders have uplifted their communities through sport and were recognized for their dedication, leadership and passion.
Zaila Benjamin: Mi’kmaw Female Athlete of the Year Award
Zaila Benjamin is a standout multisport athlete excelling in volleyball and track and field. A two-time school MVP, she was the Sackville High School Track and Field MVP (2024) and Volleyball MVP (2025). Zaila has represented the province on both the track and field team (2024) and the volleyball team (2024-2025), and she won a school silver medal in the 100m at the 2024 provincials.
At the club level with the Sonics Volleyball Club, Zaila helped the U16 team win provincial silver (2024) and the U18 team win provincial gold (2025), where she was named overall provincial MVP. She was also recognized as most improved 18U player for the Sonics in 2025. At the Millbrook L’nuey tournament, she helped her teams capture gold in both the women’s and U18 divisions and was named MVP of the women’s division.
Zaila was invited to the Provincial Excellence Volleyball Program in 2024 and 2025 and was one of only a few athletes selected for the Targeted Athlete Volleyball Program in 2025. This past August, she was also the top hitter on Nova Scotia’s 2025 Canada Games Women’s Volleyball team.
Jax Ginnish: Mi’kmaw Male Athlete of the Year Award
Jax Ginnish is a 16-year-old defenseman from Membertou First Nation who currently plays for the Halifax MacDonalds in the NSU18 Major Hockey League. Some of his accomplishments include winning gold with Team Nova Scotia at the 27th Annual Atlantic Challenge Cup in the QMJHL Cup division, being named 2nd Star of the Month (November 2024) in the U18 Major Hockey League, being named to the 2025 Ice Jam U18 1st AllStar Team, receiving the Nova Scotia U18 Major Hockey League’s Scott Dee Top Rookie Defenseman award for the 2024-2025 season, being named the 2024 Paul Gould Memorial Award for Male Sportsperson of the Year at the Membertou awards banquet and winning the Addison Bernard Memorial Award at the 2024 Wally Bernard Memorial Tournament.
Jax was drafted by his hometown Cape Breton Eagles in the 2025 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Draft. Quietly determined and continually improving, Jax is a rising prospect in the QMJHL pipeline.
Austin Hepworth: Mi’kmaw Male Coach of the Year Award
Austin Hepworth, from Millbrook First Nation, is a dedicated and passionate leader in Indigenous sport. Serving as an assistant coach with the Mi’kmaq Warriors Junior A Lacrosse team, Austin has played a key role in developing young athletes and strengthening the Mi’kmaq lacrosse community. He also represented his province as an Aboriginal Apprentice Coach with Team Nova Scotia at the 2025 Canada Games, where the team achieved an impressive fourth-place finish. Austin is most excited about his current role as Head Coach for Team Nova Scotia in the 2028 North American Indigenous Games.
Calaya Doucette: Mi’kmaw Female Coach of the Year Award
Calaya is a Mi’kmaq woman from Membertou First Nation who passionately promotes Mi’kmaq culture, supports her community and encourages young girls to lead healthy, active lives. A certified volleyball coach and dedicated youth volunteer, she fosters teamwork, skill development and personal growth through coaching. Calaya is completing her degree at Cape Breton University and plans to pursue further studies in social work or education to deepen her community impact.
Calaya’s volleyball journey began in elementary school, progressed through Sherwood Park Education Centre (SPEC)’s “A” team, where she was named Female Athlete of the Year, and continued with Sydney Academy’s varsity team. She also represented her community at the 2014 and 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) and competed with the Cape Breton Attackers and Cape Breton Volleyball Club Tier 1 teams. She currently coaches the SPEC Junior High Girls “A” team and volunteers as a U14/U15 performance coach with Volleyball Cape Breton and coaches with the NAIG volleyball program.
The other four inductees were Alex Christmas (Builder), John Frank Toney (Athlete), Arnold Sylliboy (Coach & Builder) and Ryan Francis (Builder). Aiden Roy Denny also posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement in Sport Award.
